Mailman (City Letter Carrier)

Mailman (City Letter Carrier)

MailmanDave

17 Years Experience

Long Island, NY

Male, 43

I am a City Letter Carrier for the US Postal Service in NY. I've been a city letter carrier for over 17 years and it is the best job I've ever had. I mostly work 5 days per week (sometimes includes a Saturday) and often have the opportunity for overtime, which is usually voluntary. The route I deliver has about 350 homes and I walk to each of their doors to deliver the mail. Please keep in mind that I don't have authority to speak for the USPS, so all opinions are solely mine, not my employer.

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Last Answer on February 18, 2022

Best Rated

How do i get the full name of my postman?

Asked by dave over 11 years ago

I am not sure how you would get the full name of your postman. I read that he won't give you his last name. I have no idea whether or not he has any obligation to do so. I gladly would give it out, if asked. It is also on my ID badge that I wear. I feel that it should be available to the public, but I am sure you will find great disagreement among my colleagues. If you were to call the PO and ask them, I have a feeling they wouldn't give it to you either. Some people get very private about certain matters, yet they will join Facebook and broadcast a lot about their personal lives. That's about all of the insight I have on this subject. Thanks for writing.

do mailmen carry flat rate boxes and envelopes on their vehicles for people who need them along the route?

Asked by neva over 11 years ago

Generally I would say no. I know that I don't carry them in my vehicle. We are told to empty out our vehicles each night. Maybe some carriers do bring them with, but I would doubt it and we aren't told to by management. If a customer asked me to bring them some I would the next day. The best way to get supplies is to visit a Post Office or order the Priority Mail supplies for free at www.usps.com. Thank you for your inquiry and I think Priority Mail is one of the most reliable services that the USPS provides.

if i didn't put in a change of address at the post office where i used to live and then i send a letter to the irs using the address at a motel i am temporarily staying at will it still reach its destination

Asked by william over 11 years ago

Sure, the letter should reach its destination as long as it has the proper address and ZIP code. The only issue could be if the letter would need to be returned to you for some reason and you no longer are at the motel and there is nowhere to send the letter to. You don't need to put a return address on the letter to begin with. It's your own choice. 

I just checked my mailbox n received a authorization to hold mail form. I did not request this n is signed by an unknown person. what does this mean & how do I fix it?

Asked by Jay almost 12 years ago

I am not sure why the authorization to hold mail form would show up in your mailbox unless it was put there by error. Normally we wouldn't deliver a signed form like that until it is time to resume delivery of mail after the hold period which was authorized has expired. Postal Customers use that form (or can complete it at www.usps.gov) to have their mail held at the post office if they will be away for a period of time between 3 and 30 days. At the end of the authorized time period, a letter carrier will either deliver all of the mail that was held at the PO or the postal customer can pick up the mail at the Post Office. If the form you recevied has been completed (or even if not), you may put a post-it note or attach a note to it and leave it in your mailbox explaining to the letter carrier that you don't want your mail held at all and that you didn't authorize it. Another option is to take the card to your local post office that delivers the mail and tell them you don't want your mail held. My guess is that somebody has made an error in delivering the form to you OR something shady is going on, but I think it is more likely the former. Thank you for your inquiry.

Just wondering how much a holiday actually delays mail; say Labor Day on a Monday. I work in medical records (requesting) and wanted to know if I should allow more than really just one day for the mail to arrive at the intended location.

Asked by Penny over 11 years ago

Penny, I don't think that a holiday delays the transport of mail through our network by much at all, but I don't really have much insight into this subject. I know our local post offices don't process any mail on holidays, however the processing and distribution centers might still be operating. I would always suggest allowing more than one day for mail to arrive at the intended location even if there was no holiday. This is just to make time for mis-delivered, mis-sorted, or delayed mail. The day after a holiday, we are often hammered with mail to deliver. It is the trade off for having a paid day off (which I'm not complaining about). 

I have had a hard time finding Letter Carrier positions on the USPS website. Are these jobs hard to come by or is there a specific job title I am failing to look for? Thank you!

Asked by LTJR almost 12 years ago

The correct title would be "City Letter Carrier" or "City Carrier Assistant". Most areas are now just hiring CCA (City Carrier Assistant). I don't know the procedure how each district, or performance clutster as they are (or were) called, decides when and how many CCAs to hire. Under the careers section of USPS.com, you can search for job openings in a certain geographic area and then choose "delivery/customer service". To apply for these positions, I think you have to set up an account with USPS.com. Another position that you could look up is "Rural Carrier Associate" or RCA. I hope this helps you.

If I have a mailbox that is posted to the side of my house and does not come with a red flag. How do I let the post man know that I have outgoing mail? It never gets picked up...

Asked by JMac over 11 years ago

I presume there are days when you receive no mail and therefore the letter carrier doesn't even stop at your house and wouldn't see your outgoing mail. If you had incoming mail, please make sure your outgoing mail is visible and then should be taken. On days where you have no incoming mail and no flag to alert the letter carrier that you have outgoing mail, I'm not sure how to let them know to stop and pickup your letters. I suggest making the mail visible from a distance (like possibly sticking out of the mailbox) so when they walk/drive by your house it can be spotted and picked up. To be honest though, some letter carriers may not even look at the mailbox if there is nothing to deliver to a certain address. I'm not saying this is correct, but I don't want to speak for fellow letter carriers who vary widely in their quality of work. Thank you for writing.